While every game on the schedule is important, certain
contests will stand out as particularly critical to Marquette's NCAA (hopefully)
seeding. The following is an analysis of the top five games on the current
Marquette schedule (potential encounters versus Stanford and Duke in the CBE
Classic cannot be assumed).

Wisconsin
(December 9 @Bradley Center)

The home team has held serve in the last five games of this
intrastate rivalry. Now, it's Marquette's turn to continue that trend. If
Marquette doesn't play Duke in the CBE Classic, Wisconsin will be their biggest
non-conference foe of the season and a victory will be critically important in
the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.

Last year, Wisconsin held a 13-point lead at halftime and
won going away, 77-63, behind Kammron Taylor's 18 points and Ray Nixon's 15
points. Marquette's "Big Three" of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and
Wesley
Matthews had the "Perfect Storm" of rough games, combining to shoot only 9 for
31 from the field. McNeal played just 13 minutes before fouling out and
Matthews' homecoming saw him shoot just 2 for 12 from the floor. Also having an
off game was sophomore center Ousmane Barro, who played only 8 minutes and had
three turnovers and zero points.

Despite the one-sided win, Wisconsin's core players did not
fare very well, either. Taylor needed to attempt 17 shots (he made only 6) to
net his 18 points and forwards Brian Butch and Alando Tucker both scored well
below their averages. Butch contributed only four points and Tucker shot just 2
of 8 from the floor en route to an eight-point outing.

The Badgers lost only Nixon off last year's squad and, like
Marquette, should be highly ranked for this game. Both teams are very evenly
matched, with Wisconsin perhaps holding the advantage up front and Marquette's
three-guard attack eclipsing the Badgers' backcourt. Coaching is a push.
Wisconsin is a battle-tested team that rarely beats itself. Marquette's home
court advantage could very well provide the sliver of difference it needs to
win.

Syracuse
(January 7 @Bradley Center)

Due to a Big East scheduling quirk last season, Marquette
will get its first look at charter conference member Syracuse since it joined
the league. While the Orange return four starters, including three seniors 
frontcourt men Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins  their
lone loss was a big one: leading scorer Gerry McNamara. Josh Wright will end his
two-year apprenticeship under McNamara and step in to the void at point guard.
He's talented, but it's unlikely he'll have McNamara's grit, moxie and penchant
for hitting clutch shots.

Last season, Syracuse needed a furious finish  capturing
the Big East Tournament in the process  to gain entry to the NCAA Tournament.
This year's team should also be in the field of 65  with or without the Big
East Tournament crown.

Syracuse always has a wealth of athletes and talent and
this season will be no different. The game takes place during Christmas break,
but maybe  like last season's Connecticut game  the students will sense the
importance of this encounter and return to Milwaukee early to grace the Bradley
Center with their presence. The Orange will have the more talented frontcourt,
but look for Marquette's backcourt to once again be the difference.

Louisville
(February 17 @Bradley Center)

Heading into this season, Marquette's dropped three
straight to the Cardinals and with this year's first matchup in Louisville, that
number could very likely stand at four in a row by the time these two rivals
meet again in mid February.

Gone is four-year thorn in Marquette's side, Taquan Dean,
but the Cardinals still return a wealth of firepower, led by 6'11" David Padgett
and 6'8" Juan Palacios. Brandon Jenkins will start at one guard spot and could
be teamed with a familiar name: Wauwatosa East's Jerry Smith.

The contest follows a tough two-game roadtrip that will
have taken Marquette to Georgetown and to Chicago to face what will likely be a
much-improved DePaul squad. Marquette could play well in the those two contests
yet still take a two-game losing streak into this game; they can ill afford to
lose three straight. Look for the Big Three to once again assert their will and
for the home crowd to play a major factor  particularly in riding the freshman
Smith hard for spurning his hometown school.

Notre
Dame (February 24 @South Bend)

With the graduations of leading rebounder Torin Francis and
leading scorer Chris Quinn, the Irish look to be down this season. Still, Notre
Dame is not bereft of talent. Dangerous shooting guard Colin Falls returns,
along with ultra-athletic swingman Russell Carter.

Up front, the Irish will be very young and inexperienced.
The best of the lot could be 6'11" Luke Zeller who averaged only 3.4 points a
game last season in limited duty. At this point in the season, the Irish might
only be playing for pride  or, at best, an NIT berth. But with the sting of two
bitter losses from last year still fresh on their minds, they'd like nothing
more than to bring Marquette down to earth.

Road wins are difficult enough to come by in the Big East,
so Marquette must seize the opportunity and put away an undermanned ND squad.
The task will not be easy, however. Too many talented Marquette teams have gone
into South Bend in years past only to be tripped up.

Pittsburgh
(March 3 @Bradley Center)

Senior Day sees Marquette bid farewell to Mike Kinsella and
Jamil Lott. Last season, Marquette and Pittsburgh split two physical contests 
including a thrilling 84-82 Marquette win in Milwaukee in front of a
state-record, college game crowd.

Gone from the Panthers' lineup is their leader, trash
talking guard Carl Krauser. Center Aaron Gray, however, returns, along with a
host of talented athletes, who primarily played secondary roles last season.
Forward Sam Young is a phenomenal inside athlete; Levon Kendall is a clever,
jack-of-all trades combo forward and guards Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon are
tough and heady. Pitt also welcomes another stellar recruiting class led by
swingman Gilbert Brown and transfer Mike Cook, who Marquette fans will remember
from his days at East Carolina.

The Panther offense will once again revolve around the
mammoth 7'0" 270 lb. Gray, who averaged a double-double last season (13.9 points
and 10.5 rebounds). Like they did last season, Marquette will look to tag-team
him on defense, throwing as many different defenders as possible at him.
Fittingly, Senior Day might be Kinsella's moment in the sun. To date, the 7'0"
Minnesota native has had an injury-riddled and largely ineffective career, but
the 245 lb. Kinsella could match up better with Gray than any other Marquette's
big man. And if he's hitting his mid-range jumper, Kinsella may draw the future
NBA first-round draft pick out of the lane and give James and company more room
to drive to the basket.

The Panthers have designs on the Final Four this year and
are thought by many prognosticators to be the odds-on-favorites to win the Big
East title. This game will be part of ESPN's College Gameday broadcast. Perhaps
Marquette will break another attendance record as they try to build up momentum
heading into the Big East Tournament.